(I forgot to take a picture of the contents of this container, but imagine about a cup and a half, like I said, of pulled pork! Enough for maybe two sandwiches at lunch, and that would be fine. Pulled pork sandwiches are a nice, thrifty meal. But this amount of leftovers also enough for dinner for 8, so squirrel it away in the freezer with a little note to yourself so that you don't have a bunch of random inexplicable containers in there for later.)
You might have a cup of leftover ham chunks or four hotdogs (cut up the hot dogs into small slices or chunks). You may have a piece of salt pork or a hunk of bacon (not sure why you'd have a hunk of bacon left over but let's just pretend).
Now get a bag of beans. I favor Great Northern beans or small navy beans. But almost any beans will do, pretty much!
A bag of beans is very cheap. Even a bag of organic navy beans that you haven't shopped around for is going to cost you less than $1.50. Naturally, the best way to buy beans is to get them in bulk and store them in mason jars in the pantry.
Because your meat is likely to already be cooked, as was my pork, you need to mostly bake the beans. This is so that the meat doesn't completely cook out. In the case of bacon or salt pork, it's fine, you can throw them in at the start.
To save a step for next time, you could bake a lot of beans, multiplying this recipe I'm going to give you, and store the mostly cooked beans in the freezer for the next time. But for now, we'll say that you are cooking up one pot of baked beans.
This is a classic Boston Saturday supper, so on Friday night, rinse your dried beans and cover them with water in your pot. Leave the covered beans out on the counter all night.
The next morning, chop up a big onion, throw in your spices, and bring to a boil.
When everything is good and hot, pop the pot into the oven and let it bake for a few hours. When the beans are soft but not to the perfect baked point (as shown in the photo below — when completely done they will be soft and coated in the sweetness of the molasses, and there will be little water left, but when mostly done they will still have individual shape and be wet), stir in your meat with whatever sauce it had, if any (in the case of the barbecue pulled pork, it will have a nice barbecue sauce, but in the case of the ham or bacon, maybe not — doesn't matter).
Naturally your Bad Blogger did not take pictures of all that. All I have is this poor one below. Sorry.
When another unit of time has elapsed, your beans will look like the picture, up top. Do not stress out about this timing thing. It will happen, but it's super flexible, on the long side. Thus, you can do your chores and shopping and raking and as long as every once in a while you give it a stir and maybe add some water, it will come out fine.
Most of all, let's just stop and think about how very cheap it was.
It's not really possible to eat very much of it. A pot like this serves 6-8, more if they are not all hungry boys. A side of mac and cheese or baked potato would make it go even further. We had it with a kale salad (my obsession of late — so easy — just toss the cut-up kale with lemon juice, and after an hour, add olive oil, salt, and grated parmesan — not a Boston classic by any means, but very good!) and a loaf of Irish bread. The Boston way is to have brown bread studded with raisins, of course, but I find that a little too sweet, as the beans are already sweet.
Other sides would be cole slaw, oven-roasted potatoes, rice, or pasta salad. If you leave the meat out (only putting in a piece of salt pork for flavor), you can serve the beans themselves as a side dish, but for that, I just open a can (shh, don't tell — but if you get a can of Bush's Boston baked beans you will have an idea of how this should taste when you make it yourself. And then, when you make it, you'll realize it's better your way!).
This post is about making that small amount of meat you already have go very far.
The most it could possibly cost you is about a dollar a serving. I think it's more like a dollar for 3 servings! I don't know. It's cheap.*
Auntie Leila, can you do it in the slow cooker? I don't think so, although I am still wondering/researching if you can cook in the crockpot with the lid off at some point, near the end. I did see them do that on Top Chef, but there were no details. Do you ever do that?
There has to be evaporation/cooking down with a pot of baked beans. There has to be a certain amount of crusty browning on the sides. With a slow cooker you will get a sort of flavorful soup of beans.
Do you eat baked beans where you are from?
Frugal baked beans, Like Mother, Like Daughter
Serves 8
1 package (1 lb./16 oz.) small white beans (or whatever you have handy)
1 large onion
1 tsp. dried mustard powder
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup molasses (but in the end you will sweeten to taste) or brown sugar or combination — and maple syrup or honey is fine, but pricey.
1 tsp. salt (some people swear you shouldn't add salt until the end, but my research over the years suggests that it's the minerals in your water that make the beans tough, not the salt. I usually put mine in right away — you can add at the end, but I'd add in the half-cooked stage to be sure that the salt goes all the way through the beans)
Whatever leftover ham, pork, bacon, or sausage (including hot dogs) you may have (1 1/2 cups of meat cut up into chunks is fine)
Rinse the beans and pick them over (just throw away any that are broken or with spots, and do make sure you don't have any pebbles in there). Cover well with water and leave to soak overnight. (If you forget this step, you can cover and boil for a few minutes and then let stand for an hour, but the beans will cook better if you soak them cold).
Now you are supposed to drain that water and use fresh water to cook them, but I always forget! I use the same water! Doesn't seem to matter…
Chop up the onion and add it along with the other seasonings and molasses. Make sure the beans are covered by an inch or two with water and bring to the boil.
Cover the pot and put it in the oven at 200*. Every hour or so, give it a stir. If after four hours you don't see much progress, you can crank it up to 300*. If the liquid is disappearing, add another cup of water. This pot of beans is going to cook all day, just so you know.
When the beans are soft but there is still liquid in there, add your meat. You don't have to have meat at all, but it will be more main-dish-like with a little meat. Bake for another hour. Taste to see if it's sweet and salty enough. At the end you will probably want to take the top off the pot and bake it for another forty minutes that way, stirring occasionally.
*Edited to add: For anyone wondering how cheap it is to run the oven for so long: It costs less than 20¢ to run an electric oven (the kind I have) for an hour at 350°, and for this recipe, you want it set lower than that. It costs less than 10¢ an hour for gas. So yes, cheap.
Jenny says
Our food budget has been out of control lately. Prices just go up and up and these children keep wanting to eat! We are trying to find a way to incorporate more beans into meals to make the meat go further. One favorite way is to add black beans to the chicken or hamburger when making some Tex-Mex type meal. I don't know if anyone else has the problem of finishing a whole can of olives, but we have found that black olives mix right into beans without hardly noticing.
Refinancing is the greatest. With the rates so low we refinanced from a 30 to 15 a year ago. Granted, our payments went up, but our principle balance is going down, down, down.
julie says
I love this. My husband and I watched a food show in which they made boston baked beans, and I had always wondered how to do this. (Watching shows that feature food in the evenings, is not reccommended. ) I love your blog and always find the advice helpful, timely, and delivered in a conversational tone that hits just the right note.
-Julie
majellamom says
Looks very good! I do baked beans in the crockpot, but I'm sure that isn't particularly authentic…but we are in Colorado, so I guess as long as I don't call them Boston baked beans, I'm ok! Usually what I do is cook the beans in the crockpot until they are almost done, then I drain off some water, if necessary, add a sauce and then cook for a few more hours on low. I also do a similar thing to make “refried” beans in the crockpot – drain off most of the water (I reserve it just in case I need to add some back) and then use an immersion blender to mash them all up (or a potato masher would work, but take longer) let them heat through, and then serve with whatever.
Rebecca says
Oh, we love baked beans. I always serve them as the main dish with some sort of minimal pork (sometimes just onions sauted in bacon fat) for flavoring. Because my roots are the PA Dutch of the Appalachian South I sweeten with sorghum. On the side is invariably cornbread made in an iron skillet. (Sometimes I grease the skillet with bacon fat…you know…for continuity of flavor. :))
Dixie says
Rebecca, or anybody else, does the bacon fat work for the skillet? We have had to stop using butter because of our daughter's allergy and I have been afraid to try a real skillet cornbread without butter. Have you ever tried it with an oil (like olive oil)? It would be less like butter than bacon fat, but still, I wonder. I'd like to be adventurous, but I don't want to end up with a mess!
_Leila says
Dixie, I make cornbread from the Joy of Cooking — “Crackling Cornbread.” Instead of cracklings, I use bacon fat, a little less than called for, and then heat the skillet up in the oven with a tablespoon of bacon fat in it. The cornbread bakes up nicely browned on the bottom and oh so good!
The recipe calls for buttermilk, but you could make it the way you want. Bacon fat does indeed work very well!
Dixie says
Boy, that sounds great. And then you get the bacon, too!
Jen says
When you make bacon and don't need the drippings, pour them carefully into a clean glass jar with a screw-on lid – mine is an old peanut butter jar. When it has cooled on the counter for a while, you can store it in the refrigerator. I have masking tape with the word “bacon” written on mine. I haven't ever had it go bad; it's never there long enough. My secret ingredient for making yummy scrambled and fried eggs, is to cook them in a teaspoon of bacon fat. It's also nice for pan-sautéing chicken and softening onions for soups.
Ashley says
I second this! Skillet cornbread made with bacon fat is now known in my house as “crackbread” because of its dangerously addictive qualities.
Lacy says
Yummy! I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow! Where we live–the southernmost end of the Appalachian Mountain south–baked beans are a fairly common side dish, but they're soupier and often baked with onions and green peppers, brown sugar, and ketchup, but only a tiny bit of fat back or bacon grease for flavoring rather than an actual meat ingredient. Everyone I know who makes them also starts with a can of pork-n-beans rather than dried beans, so a bit less frugal, too. Do you know about cowboy beans, Auntie Leila? They're my favorite method for using up ground venison besides the lasagnes my husband makes for us every few months. A very similar idea where a little bit of meat is stretched with beans–my Mom and aunts use pork-n-beans, and I use a variety of white and black beans–and the whole thing is seasoned with onions, green peppers, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and a bit of ketchup or BBQ sauce. Now that I see your recipe, I'm going to try some dried mustard in it because I imagine it will only make it better. Once the meat is browned and the beans mostly done, the whole thing can be left to simmer slowly in a crockpot and will only get better the longer it sits.
_Leila says
Cowboy beans are a lot like Boston baked beans, just more barbecue-y. Really good!
Kristina B says
You can definitely do baked beans in the crockpot! That is how I always do them, and I do get browning on the top as well – you just have to be sure not to put in too much water. I use the same basic timing principle as majellamom to make sure that the beans are cooked and that I don't have to drain off a bunch of flavor when I take out the excess water.
Caitlin says
Again, devastatingly practical. I love baked beans- I'm from PA and there was never a picnic without baked beans. For some reason I generally think of them as a summer food, and I can't imagine why. Love these frugal recipes! More please!
bethinthecity says
We live in Maryland and we love baked beans. I love them baked, with evaporation. My husband loves them more “soupy” and not cooked to death. He doesn't care for mealy beans. Me? I just love beans any which way. Yum! My recipe includes ketchup and brown sugar. It's rather sweet! But I love it. I recently cooked a bag of black beans, put them into serving sizes, and froze them. So easy! So frugal!
priestswife says
the three chief ways I save money on the food bill
1. soup! 2. don't let anything go bad- pack leftovers for lunches 3. have a few convenience items in the freezer so I am not tempted to go to a restaurant when we get in late
Susan says
I don't remember what I was making but I have used the crockpot with the lid off. Mine seems to run hotter than average, though. I turned it to high and ran it that way for the last couple hours. It bubbled merrily without being in the least danger of boiling over so it was just as low-fuss as usual.
sibyl says
Other bean recipes that really stretch meat: lentil soup! you can make a huge pot of it with perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 cup sausage chopped small, really flavorful.
Also, chili — it can have far less ground beef in it and more beans
My personal favorite: minestrone — the key with it is to remember that it is peasant food; the beans are the meat substitute, and you put in whatever veggies you can throw together; cheap and essential would be cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions, and then any other little bits. This is the ultimate use-it-up soup, and if you saute the veggies in a good olive oil first, and then build the soup from there, it is rich and delicious. You can do this completely meat-free or with whatever tiny chopped leftover meat tidbits you have.
ArdenLynn says
About the home refinance. The mortgage people FedEx us offers probably a few times a month. We have a low rate now at 4.2% but the kicker is we will be mortgage free in 7 years because we refinanced for 15 years back when our 5th child was born. The mortgage companies are trying to sell us a 30 year loan for a low rate and it would free up about $300 a month. If we can hold steady, we will not have a mortgage but when I look at that $300 a month I am very tempted. Then again, I would have paid triple the price of the house and I would have a mortgage into my 70's! I know you don't do a lot of personal finance but what made you decide to refi at this stage of the game with most children out of the house instead of paying off the mortgage and being done with the whole shooting match?
Thanks again for your blog and your unwavering faith. You have been an inspiration to this middle aged mom who is just leaving the diaper years and has a whoooole lot of time left raising children.
Jenny says
You could probably refinance to another 15 if you wanted. The rates are running in the high 2s, low 3s for a 15. Or maybe look at a ten. It would stretch your payments out a bit without pushing you to have a mortgage in your 70s. If it is possible to payoff your house in the near to moderate term, I would recommend it. Since you are already at a fifteen, your payments would go down since the interest rates are lower. Definitely don't do a 30 year loan, that's throwing money down a hole given your current situation.
_Leila says
ArdenLynn, for us, it didn't change the term. Just a lower rate (we've only lived here for 14 years). There are different factors to consider — will you sell? If so, you can pay off your mortgage and meanwhile have a lower payment. But if you will stay forever, then it might not make sense.
But for someone who has a higher interest rate and will sell in ten years or whatever, it makes no sense to worry about putting more beans in the menu rotation while paying hundreds a month too much for the house!
Joyful says
I love baked beans. I don't make them very often just because they take so much time. But when I do make them it is worth the wait as beans this way are soooo good. Your explanation is great especially for someone (like I was) who was afraid to make the beans.
Laura says
We've been struggling in the food department too. We are currently expecting #5 in the spring, and have four strapping boys 3-9, who I've successfully raised to be NON-picky eaters!! Trouble is, picky eaters are somewhat cheap eaters… Mine, like REAL food and LOTS of it (but they are so skinny you can see the ribs on the older 2, so they're not obese or anything…). I also have to eat gluten free, which is a pain in the butt cost-wise, because there are no convenience options that don't cost an arm and a leg…
Laura says
That all being said, I do make baked beans from scratch, mostly because of reading old books and how frugal housewives all had their own recipe for baked beans from scratch. I do it kind of hit or miss, but, Leila, I read that adding sugar too soon causes the beans to be tough, so I boil them in the oven at about 300* for a coupla hours with salt, onions and ham/bacon/pork chop or whatever, (and water), then I add my molasses, a bit of brown sugar, mustard and spices… I've noticed that the sugar thing does make a difference 🙂 and let it cook down for 2-3 more hours after that and they are mellow, soft and sweet, but still hold their shape. I've been puzzling over this whole food thing for awhile, wondering how to go about cooking more frugally… I've been reading Little House books to my boys (who love them), and we read how Ma would serve them fried mush and milk for breakfast, a dish of bean broth and bread for lunch and bread and milk for supper… or maybe hot baked potatoes and bread, or hot mashed turnips and butter, and bread… or baked beans, or whatever… day after day after day… I am sure it was frugal, but the thought of eating quite THAT frugal makes my spine crinkle…
Betsy M says
Hi Laura, we have a gf family here too. You maybe ady do this but an easy way to save $$ is to grind your own flours. We share our grinder between a few families – it paid for itself really fast.
Laura says
I have a grinder, but it is a hand grinder. Also, the only things I would grind are brown rice (which I have done and it is pretty tough to get fine), and sorghum, and maybe millet. But cranking a hand grinder is a lot of work!! I might do it more if we could rig up a bicycle/pedal attachment!! LOL.
Kate says
Being on the West Coast, we don't do Baked Beans; we do Mexican type beans – pinto beans with a left-over ham bone or ham hock thrown in, black beans cooked with cumin served over rice. We always have salsa, cheese and tortillas on hand for our beans. I'm lucky that my kids really like beans; one of my daughter's asks for it as her special birthday dish. I make beans at least once a week for dinner and the kids usually finish it off the next day for lunch. One of the “Tightwad Gazette” books has a good recipe for a vegetarian lentil and rice dish that even meat -lovers like.
Rachelle says
I'm on the West coast and we love baked beans in our family! They're a great dish for funerals, new babies, baptisms, and other gatherings.
Laura says
So, I try to do a few things. I try to keep nutrition vs. cost in mind. I try to get plenty of fresh veggies/fruits. I get unprocessed meat (nothing prebreaded), and include soup often. For example, my local grocery sells decent ground chuck for cheaper than other places, so I try to package some of it in 1/2 lb packages for use in spaghetti sauce, soup, rice/beef tacos or other dish where you can stretch the meat further. I buy bulk chicken breasts for $2/lb and try to only use 2 of them at a time to feed 6 people. My same store also sells unclassified potatoes grown locally for $4/20lbs. So potato soup is good and cheap. They also sell cheap beef soup bones, which I will roast along with a beef roast and then simmer with onions and such to make bone broth (which is very good for you), and then make a massive pot of soup(that we eat for 2-3 meals). I will use a wild/brown rice blend in that in place of barley(it's not real cheap, but a bag lasts a long time). We also limit cold cereal to a couple times a week and make cooked breakfast other times (oatmeal is cheap, and actually fried mush-polenta-is very good too).
Laura says
It's not the cheapest, but most of our dinner meals range from around $3-8 to feed six people. That is much cheaper than a restaurant, and better quality than processed options… I just wish it was easier to be thankful (and not turn up our noses) at some of those really basic simple foods like I mentioned earlier… cause we could probably eat for pennies if we chose to eat that way, but I know it would depress me after a week! (especially during pregnancy-yucks). (I'm sorry I took so many comment spaces!!)
Paula says
Beans in the crockpot are so easy. Why not put the crock in the oven (uncovered) at the end to finish them off?
Kelsey says
I have made Boston baked beans in the crock pot, and it was very yummy, but yes – more like a soup than a crusty bean bake. Whenever I cook beans plain, I save the cooking water to use as a base for soups – if I mix it with homemade stock and some rice or other grain, it's pretty hearty. Maybe this is just me, but I find it easier to cook frugally in the colder months, since soups, stews, and warming bean/grain/root vegetable based dishes are so perfect. I think that the summer is a bit harder. (I don't have a garden – that would probably help!)
Laura says
I agree! The winter months are easier to be frugal. We were able to enjoy about 8 weeks of onions from our garden this year. We plan on doubling or tripling our onion patch for next year!!
Margo says
Oh YES we love baked beans! You can cook with the lid off the slow cooker, but the oven is better and the house wants the heat. Furthermore, my absolute favorite trick to do with baked beans is make oven rice pudding at the same time/temp. Then we have a green salad and there's supper.
I have never cared for Boston brown bread. Must not have had a good loaf because bread is always good, I think. I think I should make this a standard Saturday night meal. I love having standards where I don't have to think – pancakes Saturday morning, popcorn Sunday night. And now! baked beans Saturday night. awesome.
Sara says
I love baked beans, and I have often done them in the crockpot, just as others have said. Just don't have the liquid any higher than the top of the beans. You might want to watch that they don't get too dry (is that possible?). I also used to put coca-cola in them! (Because I'm from the say-outh.)
Alicia says
I've made apple butter in the crockpot, which needs the same “cooking down” process as beans. I leave the lid on, but ajar–if it won't stay cocked, I'll stick in a wooden chopstick (left over from chinese takeout) to help. It does take longer than an oven or stove to cook off liquid, though, so don't be in the remotest hurry!
Lacy says
I do the same thing! And it does take such a long time, but my whole family loves it, so well worth the hassle!
Sue says
Oh, how I wish that we had more kinds of beans available over here! I love beans – even the Japanese variety that are mainly used for sweets. I won't even mention how much a bag of lentils costs over here – I have been known to pack some of those in my suitcase on my way back over! I really appreciate the reminder that we can be more frugal with food. That is really hard for me in the best of circumstances, but a true frustration when we are trying to avoid radiation contamination as much as possible! My husband, on the other hand, is the king of using up leftovers, and throwing bits of whatever fresh veggies are leftover into a delicious concoction. He has taught me a lot over the years, but I still can't hold a candle to him (it's the result of being a bachelor for so many years – a bachelor with good food taste, that is!).
Laura says
Just a question. Has anyone out there actually tried to eat like the Ingalls family? (with wild meat, potatoes, turnips, bread, bean broth, baked beans etc?) and if so, how do the kids in the family respond to that kind of menu? I'm certain that mine would want sour cream on their potatoes!! And would get tired of the limited options… But how do you teach them to be contented with say lunch of baked turnips and bread when they go to walmart and are wondering, “what gives?”…
priestswife says
We fast on Wednesdays and Fridays (meatless) during the year and during official fasting times for Byzantine Catholics (mostly Advent and Lent) we are meatless every day except Sunday and vegan on Wednesdays and Fridays (so Thanksgiving leftovers will be packed up and eaten on the weekend)- so maybe you can get really simple on Fridays and eat 'normally' the other days- feasting and fasting is part of life
_Leila says
Laura, when everyone was here, I found that living “Laura Ingalls” style is fine for a day here or there. You have to be used to it! I think for us, it works to alternate rich and lean menus. And you have to take into consideration your own cultural preferences. Some people can't live without potatoes! It's in their genes!!
But potatoes are cheap, so that's fine.
Also, don't take them to Walmart 🙂
Martha says
In our part of the south, we made black beans – especially to eat on New Years Day. After soaking overnight, my mama would put them in the crockpot with the ham bone saved from the Christmas ham, onion, garlic and fresh ground ginger. Everyone who eats them swears they've never had anything like 'em they're so good. We eat them with brown rice and cheese. Yum!
Lisa says
My husband's grandmother made beans in a hole. The family dug a hole in the ground and started a fire in it. They put beans in a huge cast iron pot on top of the hot coals and covered it with 6 inches of dirt. 8 hours later, they dug it out and wahla! Baked beans cooked in the ground! It was a tradition at every family summer gathering on the Maine coast.
bibliotecaria says
Just a thought — please cease apologizing for not having photographs. In fact, sometimes, it's okay to just have one — or even none! It's not like it's a requirement for writing. And I hate that you put pressure on yourself to produce them. When you come right down to it, I come here for the words, not the pictures.Those are just a nice extra.
Of course, if you enjoy doing them, that's great. But I don't want anyone to feel that photographs are a requirement of their blog.
ArdenLynn says
Laura, I understand. We live in a typical suburban neighborhood and we are an oddity. Homemade food, served at a table? Weird. Add in a mom that won't stock the extra fridge with soda or buy any type of boxed pasta or frozen whatsit for a snack? Weirder.
I have tried the junk food as a treat approach and it made it worse. So now I just go about my business knowing I am feeding them the right way. And for what it's worth, I have 8 children and all are hearty eaters, none are overweight and we routinely have dental appointments with no cavities. Someday they will thank me. Maybe.
Anne-Marie says
As a combination home ec-history lesson, we once cooked a meal of Boston beans and rye'n'injun bread (a la Farmer Boy). It struck me that this was a frugal way of cooking if your stove has banked coals in it overnight, but it's very costly in energy to run an electric oven for that long.
_Leila says
Anne-Marie, I have wondered about the cost of running the oven, and I know that the slow cooker is way cheaper. If what our readers say is true, and you can run the slow cooker with the lid off and/or put the crock in the oven — two things I just feel weird about — then that's one way to save money on cooking something that takes a long time.
But to put it in perspective, I looked it up, and it will cost under a dollar to run the oven at 200-300 for 6 hours. (It will cost under 50 cents to run the slow cooker for that long.) If you do what Margo suggested above, and cook something else slow in the oven as well, like rice pudding or Indian pudding (another New England fave), then you are maximizing even that low cost.
Emily says
Auntie Leila, what kind of pot are you using that can go on the stove AND in the oven? My large pot has plastic handles and I'm pretty sure I oughtn't put it in the oven.
_Leila says
Emily, I have a cast-iron enameled pot that I use. The traditional “bean pot” is heavy pottery with a glaze.
Are the handles of your pot really plastic? I'm skeptical. They are probably a composite like bakelite. Those can withstand heat up to about 375.
If they are really plastic, then girl go get yourself another pot! Keep your eye out at thrift stores and yard sales. If all else fails, take someone to Marshall's and point out the one you want for Christmas! 🙂
Amanda says
Thank you so much for posting this! I am a complete failure when it comes to the kitchen and yet, being from Boston myself, I am a fan of Boston baked beans 🙂 Anyway, so this Tuesday my husband came home from his church with leftovers from a funeral they'd held there. It's odd but as the pastor's family we eat well when people die….all funeral leftovers get sent home to us. So on funeral days I know we're going to eat ham and baked potatoes and green beans. Except this time they had so much leftover that they put an entire ham in the freezer and we got just about enough for 2 sandwiches. And I have four hungry children to feed! So I set the food aside and today I made your baked beans and it was a total success! I made a small salad and split the 3 small baked potatoes in half so all 6 of us had a serving and topped them with cheese and sour cream. It really did make 2 small portions of ham comfortably feed a family of 6. All I used from my own cupboards was a head of lettuce and a can of white northern beans.
So, in short, you are a genius if you can help even me cook a delicious, frugal meal with random leftovers!
Amy Caroline says
Oh wow! So much yum!
We are facing having to really tighten the purse strings here in regards to food. I was on a special diet to loose weight but it was putting us in the poor house. I am trying to rethink things and refocus my attention and will power so that we can afford to eat and pay the mortgage.
We really ought to look into refinancing. It would be nice to even get a bit extra to fix a few things around here that are falling apart… like my stove! the door just fell off yesterday! lol
Becky says
You can do baked beans in the crock pot and you can run a crock pot with the lid off, especially if you crank it to high. The rule of thumb for liquids is to cut the amount called for in half. But, what might make the most sense is to use the crock pot to par cook large batches and the oven for your traditional baked beans (using the par baked as desired). I soak beans over night in the crock, drain, refill, season and then cook on low 6-10 hours (depends on the bean). They are then ready for freezing. It's a good Sunday sort of activity since you can start them before church and then you are around in the afternoon when they need the occasional check for doneness.
You can also cook meat in the crock pot without liquid- there are all manner of warnings about *some* crocks not being able to handle it but I can say that my hamilton beach seems fine with it. And, every once in a while, it's worth it to live on the wild side. 😉 Most recently, I used to to make the pioneer woman's chicken and noodles. I was able to render and brown the chicken in the crock with significantly less mess while also cleaning the bathrooms and doing the laundry. 🙂
Tamara says
I made your beans today and they were awesome!! I even failed to follow the directions ( I *thought* I knew what I was doing but… oops) and they were still delicious. Thank you!!
Lanna in California says
May I give keen admiration for your beautiful, healthy dog?!?
(When I see a dog that is calm and healthy, I immediately trust the flow of love in that household.) Yes, I would rather have a picture of the dog than some of the food pictures you say you have missed!
Wish I had had your blog X years ago as a then energetic but hard-pressed single parent. I, too, chose to learn and exercise frugality, and still believe one can eat healthier and more cheaply on bulk, whole foods, and using
leftovers (if any with slim but hungry child).
Thanks
Heather H-M says
How much money are you really saving if you have your oven on all day long?
you must pay nothing for your gas/hydro?
Leila says
Dear Heather, I have edited the post to add the information.
It costs less than 20¢ to run an electric oven (the kind I have) for an hour at 350°, and for this recipe, you want it set lower than that. It costs less than 10¢ an hour for gas.
So yes, cheap.
Heather H-M says
Dear Leila,
Thanks for taking the time to show me just how cheap the meal is.
I live in Ontario Canada and we have time of use prices which means in the middle of the day( high peak) during the winter the electricity costs way more than in the middle of the night( low peak). Our government has allowed the Hydro companies to do this, there is also a mid peak which occurs as a transition from low to high and high to low. It changes seasonally and is a big headache. The premise behind it is that people want to conserve energy. But I just want to get the laundry done!
Thank you for you blog, I really like it!
Heather
Anne says
Have you ever tried this recipe using canned beans? Do you have any tips on how to modify it? Normally, I wouldn’t be interested in using canned beans instead of dried, but I currently have an inordinate amount of (already opened) beans from cans. (Strange, I know. I’m making a friend’s wedding cake using vegan buttercream, and you use the liquid from canned beans, instead of eggs, to make meringue. Amazingly, this actually works!)
Leila says
Sure, Anne! It depends on what the flavor of the beans is, but unless it’s very onion-y, I would slice onions and throw them in a big pot and get them going. Then add your meat (don’t tell your friend 😉 — ham chunks, bacon bits, even smoked turkey for my Jewish readers (of whom I know I have one who likes this recipe!). Bring to a nice simmer. You can add a little molasses or brown sugar if it’s not sweet beans you have there.
The key is to let the liquid reduce just a bit. And then you are good to go.
Anne says
That helps! Thank you! (For what it’s worth, my friend is not actually vegan…just has a lot of food sensitivities. :))